Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State has tasked the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, to do something urgently about the economic downturn bedeviling member states in the region.
The governor who was represented by his deputy, Chief Steven Lawani, at the a workshop put together by the Ministry of External Affairs, tagged: Exploring the Benefits of ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme, ETLS, for National Development held in Makurdi, the state capital yesterday, observed that the association has enhanced commercial, economic and industrial activities in the region but however regretted that it has encouraged terrorism across the borders.
He expressed profound gratitude to Chad and Niger for their dogged resistance to the activities of the terrorist group, Boko Haram, and called for cooperation among member states to find solution to the menace.
Earlier, the minister of state for external affairs, Dr Nurudeen Mohammad, represented by Amb Ramatu Ahmed, said ECOWAS member states have collectively articulated programmes on thematic areas such as monetary integration through macroeconomic convergence and policy harmonisation; trade and private sector development; peace and security, among others.
The scheme, she said, aims at promoting inter community goods originating in member states through removal of import duties and prohibitions, thereby making the goods cheaper and more competitive than goods from outside the community.
Also speaking at the occasion, the chairman of Benue Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture, BECCIMA, Mr. Kuma Aiyenge, represented by Moses Ogbaji, urged the ministry to implement the programme to the letter, lamenting that similar laudable programmes had suffered setbacks in the past.